


i'm a snowfall kind of guy

by ericaismeg, foxerica (ericaismeg)



Series: omgcp [3]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bonding, Fluff, Forgiveness, Light Angst, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Reunions, Snowball Fight, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 06:58:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8568691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/pseuds/ericaismeg, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/pseuds/foxerica
Summary: Prompt: “We knew each other, and one day last winter, I walked to [them] apartment to see [them]. I didn’t know a blizzard was coming. I was stuck in [their] dorm for five days, and that’s how it all started.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sarcasticfishes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcasticfishes/gifts).



x x x 

Kent checks his phone for the third time in less than a minute. Worried he hasn’t though this through enough, he presses his lips together, and looks out the window. Everything is so fucked up right now. He can’t stop tapping his foot on the bus floor, and he knows it’s driving the snarky little girl beside him. She can’t be older than twelve, and she’s snapped at him to “quit it” twice already.

When his phone buzzes, he almost jumps. He opens up the notification without reading it…and his shoulders drop instantly.

 

**MOM:** _I just heard that you left without telling anyone. Kent, we’ve talked about this. You can’t run away every time things get tough. You’re in the NHL and this could cost you your career._

 

He closes the app, and looks back out the window. His coach hadn’t been very happy with his request for two days off. The GM of Las Vegas Aces had told him that he could take the two days off under one condition: he has to get Jack Zimmerman to sign with the Las Vegas Aces. The thought makes his stomach lurch, enough that he closes his eyes.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. He’s so fucked. This entire situation is so screwed up. He’s not sure what he’s doing or why he feels so panicked to get there. To see Jack Zimmerman again. He’s been thinking about what he’s going to say for the past hour and…well, he’s come up with, “Hi.”

That’s it. He’s not sure what to say after that. _Hi, I love you. Hi, I fucked up. Hi, I miss you. Hi, you should’ve been drafted with me, and leaving you behind was the biggest mistake. Hi, I should have never told people that you had been hopelessly in love with me, when we both know it was the reverse. Hi, please forgive me. I can’t sleep anymore._

Kent has a feeling that none of that would go over very well.

The girl beside him pokes his leg. He looks at her, and she motions for him to remove a headphone. Kent does, and she says, “My mommy says that only nervous people make bad mistakes and that confidence is the key to life.”

Kent’s lips part, but he’s not sure how to respond. He tilts his head.

“Your leg. You’re nervous. It’s annoying. Can you be more confident please?” she demands, keeping her eyes on his.

“Uh,” Kent starts. He’s dumbfounded. This twelve year old girl has clearly had enough of his anxiety, but the fact that her mother had told her nervous people make bad mistakes seems pretty messed up. He wants to correct her, but then he realizes that maybe her mother is just trying to build her self-esteem. Fuck knows if his parents had been a little more parental instead of putting so much pressure on him, he wouldn’t be in this situation right now. Being questioned by a twelve year old girl on a bus to see the love of his life…who also happens to hate his guts. “Sorry. I’m on my way to meet my crush. Surely, you can understand that?”

She doesn’t look impressed. “Your crush? What’s she like?”

“Um, well,” Kent starts. Normally, he would never correct a pronoun, but this girl has no idea who he is. So he says, “He’s pretty great. We used to be best friends, but some stuff went down, and we drifted apart. I’m surprising him.”

“You’re gay?” she asks, bluntly. “Or bisexual?”

“Gay.”

She seems to approve this, and gives him a softer, more thoughtful look. “Does he have a crush on you back?”

Kent lets out a small laugh. “That’s the million-dollar question now, isn’t it?”

The girl leans back in her seat and stares in front of her. A moment later, she says, “I have a crush on a girl.”

“Yeah? Does she like you back?”

She looks at him, and with an amused express, echos his words. “That’s the million-dollar question now, isn’t it?”

Kent laughs, nodding. He sets his phone down in his lap and sighs. “That girl’s probably really lucky to have someone like you crushing on her. You’re very confident.”

“Thank you,” she answers. “I’m not on my way to see her, though. I’m on my way to visit my dad’s for the week. My mom and him aren’t together anymore, because they no longer have butterflies for each other. It’s kind of okay though. My mom’s pretty cool. And my dad seems happier.”

“You’re pretty mature, huh?” Kent observes. This seems to please her and she nods. “I bet your parents are grateful for it.”

“Yeah. Well. I have two younger siblings and I help my mom out a lot,” the girl says. “So, what happened between you and your friend? Why did you stop being friends?”

Kent exhales deeply and tries to figure out how to explain this to someone. He’s never actually said the words out loud before. “Well, we were kind of together in a romantic way–”

“So kissing and stuff?”

“Yeah. Kissing and stuff.”

“I think I’d like to kiss Annie,” the girl answers. Kent smiles and she waves for him to carry on. He likes her style.

“Yeah, so we used to be kissing friends, and really close. We play hockey, and well, I got drafted into the national league and he didn’t. It was really hard on our friendship, and then I did some shi–dumb stuff to hurt him, and well, we’ve never really talked since.” Kent rubs the bridge of his nose. Wow.

The girl looks up at him, her eyes seeming to question him but he doesn’t know the answers. She thinks it over for a moment and then says, “Well, the first you should do is apologize then.”

Kent can’t help but feel a little weight has been lifted off his chest. He nods in agreement. “Yeah, that’s a good start.”

“My mom says that when you apologize to someone for hurting them, you don’t make it about yourself. You make it about them and how you made them feel,” she adds.

“Your mom’s pretty smart, isn’t she?” Kent asks.

The girl beams at the compliment. “I hope to be just like her one day.”

Kent grins. “I think you’re on your way, kid. So what’s your name, anyway?”

“Mmm, I’m not sure I should tell you. You’re a stranger,” she says, but Kent can tell she’s only joking.

“Dude, you can Google me if you’d like. I’m not out…like people don’t know I’m gay, so I hope we can keep that between us. But yeah. Do you have a phone with data?” Kent asks.

She snorts. “Obviously. What’s your name?”

“Kent. Kent Parson.”

The girl does and looks impressed, nodding as she reads his Wikipedia page. She glances at Kent and says, “So. You’re a famous hockey player.”

“I am.”

“That’s cool. I’m Ellie. Do you think I could have your number to prove to my dad that I actually met you? He’s a really big fan of the Las Vegas Aces,” she says, holding out her phone.

“Uh, sure.” Kent takes it and puts in his contact information. He then holds up the phone with the camera on and says, “Let’s take a selfie so he has no doubt.”

“Cool!” Ellie says, leaning into him. They smile, he snaps the photo, and then she says, “Let’s do one with silly faces!”

“Okay,” Kent says, scrunching up his nose and sticking out his tongue. Ellie immediately throws up two peace signs and looks as if she’s rocking out. He laughs and says, “Can you send those to me? I want people to know that I met an awesome kid like you.”

Ellie grins. “Yeah, sure. Will you tell me how it goes with your crush?”

“Sure, but only if I get updates on Annie.”

“Deal.”

They shake on it.

 

x x x 

 

Spending the rest of the bus ride with Ellie had been great for Kent to relax, but now he’s standing in front of the very house that Jack’s living in, and he’s an anxious mess. Kent keeps trying to breathe, raising his fist to the door, but he’s unable to knock.

This is ridiculous. If there had been a huge party, he would’ve walked in and been a cocky asshole. But the truth is that Jack is staying at the house by himself. Kent had overheard his GM talking about how Jack had had an exam that had prevented him from going to the out-of-town game.

Being one on one with Jack is _much_  different than being at a party with him.

Kent’s cell phone buzzes and he decides to read the text message first. Anything to procrastinate.

 

**ELLIE:** _made it to my dad’s! he’s so jealous of me!! :)_

**KENT:** _tell him I’ll send you guys tickets to the next game we have in Samwell :)_

**ELLIE:** _he’s taking me out for ice cream because he’s so excited! thanks kent! good luck with jack!!_  
**ELLIE:** _ps. didn’t tell my dad about jack. and also don’t mention annie to anyone please!!!_

As if anyone would care that some girl he met on a bus has a crush on a girl. But he still responds to let her know that he promises, and then he feels a little more confident. He knocks on the door.

It must be the longest thirty seconds of his life. He’s wondering how fast he can back on the bus to meet up with his team from a couple towns over…and then he remembers they’re flying home tonight. He could get to the airport and–

“Parson.”

He had practice what he was going to say with Ellie on the bus. The words seem to have disappeared from his mind, and he’s left feeling dumb. He rubs the back of his neck and looks down. _Goddammit._  Jack shouldn’t look so good. It’s unfair.

“What–”

“Can I come in?” Kent asks. Jack doesn’t say a word; he steps back, and holds the door open. Kent grabs his bag and walks inside. Jack closes the door behind him, and locks it.

“What are you doing here?” Jack demands. “You should be playing a game right now.”

“You follow my team?” Kent asks before he thinks about it. Jack scoffs as if that’s the most ridiculous idea he’s ever heard. “Right, duh. Of course, you’d know when the Aces are playing. That was stupid, I just–I’m sorry. I’m butchering this.”

Jack raises both of his eyebrows. “Kent Parson at a loss for words? Has the world come to an end?”

Kent shoots him a glare, mostly out of habit. “Dude, look, I came here because I need to make things right.”

“I don’t have all week,” Jack responds. He walks into the kitchen and Kent follows him, annoyed. This is a game they’ve been playing ever _since._ Since their worlds fell apart. Jack isn’t usually a cruel person, and all of his interviews would suggest that he still respects Kent. And maybe he does. Kent knows the truth though: Jack could hold a grudge if he wanted to. He’d try to brush it under the mat, but it’d sit there. Whereas Kent usually brushes stuff right out the door and forgets about it.

He hesitates sitting down as Jack is putting on oven mitts, but he’s not sure he can stand anymore. His legs feel a little weak. “Um. I thought we could talk and–”

“Right, _you_  thought we could talk. Did it ever occur to you that when I didn’t respond to your texts it’s because _I_  didn’t want to talk?” Jack asks, without turning to look at him. He opens the oven and pulls out a freshly baked pie. Kent tries not to breathe in the scent too much, because he has a feeling that Jack isn’t going to share.

“I–”

“No,” Jack answers, shutting the oven door. He turns around to face Kent now. “Because it _never_  occurs to you what I want. You are so self-centered and selfish. You came here, finally, _after all this time,_  because _you_  want closure. What about me, Kent? What about what I wanted? All those times I reached out to you after…and nothing. Nothing!”

Kent cringes. “Jack, I never meant to–”

“No, but you _did.”_

Kent nods, because he can’t argue with that. He plays with his hands on the table and studies them. It’s too hard to look at Jack’s broken-hearted face right now. He takes a deep breath and tries to remember what he and Ellie talked about. He says, “Would you please sit with me?”

“Fine.”

The silence stretches out longer than Kent wants, but he’s trying. He really is. Jack doesn’t look impressed, or particularly happy. Maybe Kent disrupted his life, his happiness. And maybe Jack has a point. It’s not as if he had responded to any of Jack’s messages after he’d been drafted to the NHL. “I didn’t know you baked.”

Jack does a double-take before he says, calmly, “It’s not my pie. Bitty–Eric Bittle, that is–made it. He just left me with baking instructions so I had some pie while I stayed here alone.”

“No one else is here?” Kent asks.

“No.”

“Oh.”

“I was looking forward to studying for my exam in a quiet environment,” Jack adds.

“I’m sorry,” Kent whispers. It doesn’t seem to be enough, but he’s not sure what the right words are. Jack looks a little surprised, and Kent feels awful. He rubs the bridge of his nose and says, “I’m so sorry, Jack. I shouldn’t have…all the shit I did to you…you didn’t deserve it. I’m so sorry, I never meant to hurt you.”

“Well, you did. You went from being my best friend to being a ghost,” Jack responds.

“I know. I know. And you didn’t deserve that. We were so close, and I just let the whole fame-game get to me. I shouldn’t have and I can’t take back any of my choices. I just…I really hope that we can talk some more and maybe you’ll be able to forgive me.”

“Sure. We can talk.”

It’s the best thing he’s heard all day.

 

x x x 

 

“Shit, what time is it?” Kent asks, getting up from the floor. They’d been lying in the living room for the past three hours - Kent on the floor, Jack on the couch - to watch a movie. It’s not as if anything was fixed, or magically better, but they’d both gotten exhausted talking about the whole situation. He pulls out his cell phone. “God, it’s already like one in the morning. Okay. I’m going to flag down a cab to the hotel.”

“Yeah, okay. Sure.” Jack gets up. He tentatively asks, “Will you come back tomorrow so we can…I don’t know, figure this out after we’ve both had a decent sleep?”

Kent nods. “Yeah, yeah, okay. Sure. I’ll come over around eleven?”

“Sounds good.”

Kent grabs his stuff, and as he’s putting his shoes on, he glances out the window. It’s too dark to really see anything, but he hopes he can flag down a cab. If not, he’ll walk to the twenty-four hour coffee shop on the corner and call one from there. He doesn’t know if he should hug Jack goodbye or not, so he decides to wait for Jack’s move.

Jack, of course, doesn’t touch him. It hurts Kent a little. He’d thought that they’d found some common ground tonight; a place where they could start to heal their relationship.

“Get to the hotel safely,” Jack tells him.

“Yeah. Yeah, thanks.” Kent opens the front door, only to be hit with a big gust of snowy wind. He steps back in surprise. “Holy shit!”

Jack stands beside Kent as they start outside. Somehow, getting lost in their own little world meant that they missed the _blizzard_  that is currently happening. Kent swallows, and Jack murmurs, “I don’t think any sane cab driver is driving in this. C’mon, you can stay in Holster’s bed.”

“He won’t mind?”

“Nawh. I’ll wash his sheets for him before he gets back and he’ll high-five me. It’ll be fine.” Jack closes the door, and takes Kent’s bag. He locks the door, flicks off the light, and says, “C’mon.”

Kent follows him upstairs. He smiles at some of the photos on the wall. They’re so ridiculous. He pauses to see a photo of Eric Bittle - Bitty, they call him - with his arms wrapped around Jack’s neck. They look good together. It makes his chest ache a little, but he continues climbing the stairs. Jack tosses his bag onto a bed in one of the rooms.

“Sleep here.”

“Thanks. Um. Thanks for not kicking me out earlier, and letting me have a chance to…I guess, apologize.”

Jack stares at him for a moment; his face expressionless. Kent always did have a hard time reading him. “Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

Kent waves as Jack shuts the door behind him. He sits down on the edge of the bed and lays down on his back. He rubs his eyes and lets out a deep breath. “Holy fuck, Parse. What are you doing.”

He picks up his phone and scrolls through some notifications. He sees a text from Ellie, and opens it.

 

**ELLIE:** _I hope it went okay dude! remember it’s about his feelings, not yours!_

She’s a smart cookie. Perhaps he needs to focus more on how Jack feels about the situation (read: not good; angry; hurt; really not good) and less about how he fucked up. Ellie might be onto something…it might not be good enough for Jack to hear how Kent fucked up. He already knows that.

In acknowledging Jack’s feelings, well, maybe Jack will feel a little more open to burying the hatchet.

 

**KENT:** _it wasn’t horrible. he didn’t yell or anything. but thank you. I’ll try to do more of that tomorrow! hope you’re having fun with your dad, kiddo._

He puts his phone on the nightstand and falls asleep in his clothes.

 

x x x 

 

“You’re not going anywhere today,” Jack announces from the door frame. Kent grunts, rolling over to squint at him.

“Wha–?”

“The blizzard. It didn’t let up. All of the roads in Samwell are closed. Right now, no one can get in and out of the town. All flights have been cancelled. You’re staying here again tonight, man.”

Kent sits up, rubbing his eyes. He yawns without covering his mouth and says, “But I have to go home tonight. I only got two days approved.”

“Pars–Kent. I’m telling you. You’re not going anywhere today. And the guys won’t be able to make it back tonight, so you can sleep in Holster’s bed again. I’m making bacon and eggs. Do you want toast?”

“Uh. Um. Yeah, sure, whatever is fine.” Kent yawns again. He squeezes his eyes shut and when he forces them open again, Jack is gone. He groans and pulls a cover over his head. Maybe he could sleep just like this - half sitting up in the bed, wearing yesterday’s clothes, and mentally cursing himself for fucking up. He should’ve looked at the weather before he came.

Except…he can’t just sleep like this. He is an adult, who does adult things, goddammit. Kent tosses the comforter aside, grabs his bag, and heads to the bathroom.

He changes into nice, fresh clothes, and pulls on a cardigan that Jack had bought him four years ago. He wonders if Jack will recognize it. Probably not, but…maybe. Kent brushes his teeth, styles his hair, and smooths out his collared shirt under the cardigan.

Mentally preparing himself for another emotionally exhausting day, he stares at his reflection in the mirror. “You’ve got this, Parse. You can do this. You can make it better.”

He takes a deep breath before shoving his dirty clothes back into his bag and taking it back to the room he’d slept in. Kent sets it down by the door and grabs his cell phone from the nightstand. It’s almost dead, but Ellie’s already replied.

 

**ELLIE:** _annie texted me and said she misses me already!! :)_

**KENT:** _you go girl!_

**ELLIE:** _…no dude, just…no._

He laughs before he tucks his phone into his pocket and makes his way down the stairs. Jack already has breakfast well underway. He’s dressed, and looking pretty damn good this morning.

Kent sits down at the table. “How’d you sleep?”

“Fine,” Jack answers. He glances over his shoulder at Kent. “Still like your eggs over easy?”

“Yeah. Thanks. So I definitely didn’t know there was going to be a blizzard,” Kent says, whistling when he looks out the window. It’s _white, white, white._  He can’t even see the tree on the side of the yard very well.

Jack snorts. “Parse, I wasn’t thinking that you had conveniently planned your surprise visit in hopes that you’d be snowed in because of the blizzard.”

Kent smiles, feeling a little more relaxed that Jack was making a joke about it. “Oh good, because y’know, I have a reputation to uphold.”

“Hmm, as the Biggest Prick of the Year? Or maybe The Most Arrogant Prick of the Year is more accurate.”

“Rude.” Kent smiles though, because this feels familiar. “You’d win Best Looking Mediocre Hockey Player of the Year.”

Jack laughs, and Kent tries to memorize the sound. He looks over his shoulder at Kent. “As if there’s such an award. And also? Mediocre? I’m making your eggs over hard.”

“Dude!” Kent says, but he feels himself relaxing more and more. It almost feels like it used to be, the easy banter and the safeness of their relationship. He rubs his jaw. “So, um, you seem like you’re in a good mood today?”

Jack hums for a moment before he flicks one of the burners off. “Yeah, well. I figured if we’re stuck in this house together, we might as well make the best of it. I’m pretty wiped from last night.”

“Whatever you want, man. I’m just glad you’re not mad at me,” Kent says. Then he corrects himself before Jack can, “By which I mean, I’m just glad that you’re not _outwardly_  mad at me. I really missed you.”

Jack doesn’t respond to that, but Kent doesn’t really expect him to. His phone buzzes and he checks. Two new messages from his mother. Both of them are her talking about how she’s so disappointed in him, and how _dare_  he let her down like this. Kent stares at his phone for a few minutes, trying to push away all the shitty feelings that it brings.

Maybe one day his mom will realize that he’s more than a hockey player. There’s more to him than that. Jack used to get that. He knows who Kent really is, and well, Kent’s realizing he might be the only person on earth who does.

Jack puts a plate in front of him - his eggs over-easy - and asks, “Your mom hounding you?”

“How’d you know?” Kent asks, surprised.

Jack sits down, his plate with a few more pieces of bacon than Kent’s. “My mom texted me. I guess your mom called her.”

“Of course she did. God.” Kent turns his phone off. Jack notices and raises an eyebrow, silently questioning him. “Honestly, I can’t deal with that right now. I already sent my coach and GM a message saying that I’m snowed in here. Neither of them have replied, but I know it’ll be hell when they do. Thanks for breakfast, man.”

Jack nods, and they don’t say anything for a while. They don’t need to, and they never have. Kent steals a glance at Jack every so often wondering how he could’ve ever hurt him. He’s a moron, and he let other people run his life. He doesn’t know if he can change that, but when Jack catches him looking, he knows he wants to.

 

x x x 

 

“Snowed in still?” Kent asks when Jack tosses a shirt at him the following morning. He yawns, and sits up. Then Jack throws a pair of boxers.

“Yeah. And you stink. There are fresh towels in the bathroom for you,” Jack tells him with a grin. Yesterday, they’d decided to call a truce. They wouldn’t talk about the past, not while they were stuck together. They had gone outside to the pond behind the Haus and tried to skate, but it was far too cold out. Kent had also tripped on a frozen ripple on the pond and had gone flying into Jack’s arms. They’d spun around on the ice for a moment and neither of them had moved immediately.

It gives Kent hope. After that, they’d gone inside, bundled up with hot chocolate and some blankets to watch some movies. Kent had sat on the floor, leaning against the couch where Jack had sprawled out. Jack had gently played with Kent’s hair, and neither of them spoke about it.

This is Day Three of being snowed in. He gives Jack the finger for insulting him, and Jack laughs. “C’mon, dude. I turned your phone on and it’s been going crazy with notifications. You’re going to have to deal with reality today.”

“I hate you!” Kent shouts, but Jack’s laughter moves down the hallway. He looks at the clothes Jack had given him and tentatively brings them to his face. He breathes in the scent of Jack on the shirt. God, he could stay here forever.

After his shower, he comes downstairs to see that Jack’s made pancakes. Kent’s impressed. “Man, what’s with you cooking? You used to hate it.”

“Well, if you met Bitty, you’d know. The kid loves to cook and he’s made me his personal project.” Jack grins at Kent. “You’d like him. You know…when you’re not being an asshole.”

Kent tilts his head and scoffs, feigning an unimpressed look. Jack doesn’t seem to be bothered by it though. Instead, he hands Kent his cell phone.

“Time to grow up, Parse.”

“Have I told you how much I don’t like you, Zimms?”

Jack’s entire demeanor changes when he says quietly, “Many times, Kent.”

Kent reaches out, puts his hand on Jack’s, and says, “I didn’t mean it like that. All that time…after it happened, after…”

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Jack interrupts.

“No, we do. You’re right. It’s time to grow up. I was angry at you. I had got drafted to the NHL, and you were the first and _only_  person I wanted to tell. I didn’t care if my parents knew or if my sister was aware. It was _you_  that I wanted to tell. And then you didn’t get drafted and I didn’t know what to say. It was _our_  dream,” Kent says, squeezing Jack’s hand. He snatches it away from Kent as if he’s been burned.

“Stop. I don’t want to–”

“We have to. I didn’t know what to do, Jack. I was in the NHL, and you weren’t. I wanted to tell you all about it, but I didn’t want to hurt you. So I kind of…I just stopped. I stopped talking to you because I was terrified that you hated me or resented me for getting drafted. And then there was so much pressure and press and…when I really needed you, I tried to reach out.” Kent swallows and ducks his head. He feels like he could cry right now, but he tries to hold it back.

“Kent…”

“I didn’t think about how that would make you feel,” Kent continues. “About how horrible it would be that I was reaching out after months of silence because _I_  needed you but…you needed me too. You needed me after I had been drafted and I wasn’t there for you. I didn’t even say goodbye. And I don’t have an excuse. I fucked up, but I never meant to hurt you. And I’m sorry that I didn’t think about what you were going through.”

Kent can’t read the expression Jack wears. He’s always been shit at it, even when they’d been closer.

“We were just physical, Kent. It wasn’t a big deal,” Jack finally says.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Kent demands, his voice shaking. “Jack, I was in love with you. It wasn’t just _physical._  Us hooking up wasn’t me using you. I was so stupid in love with you that I didn’t know what way was up or down. The first time you kissed me, I thought I had died because I never imagined that you’d feel something for me.”

Jack’s expression doesn’t change.

Kent remembers Ellie’s advice, and realizes he’s made this about him. He looks at Jack and quietly adds, “I’m so sorry that I made you feel like it wasn’t serious to me. I hate that I didn’t let you know how important you are to me. That you thought…”

“It’s in the past now.”

“It’s not.”

“Nothing will happen between us,” Jack says. He stands up, his plate of untouched pancakes in his hand. “Not now, Kent. If you came here to…I don’t know, hook up or whatever…it’s not happening.”

“I came here because I missed my best friend,” Kent whispers. “I miss my best friend, Jack. I feel so overwhelmed and unhappy and scared and anxious…and I needed to make things right with us. You deserve better than–”

“Dude,” Jack says, with a heavy warning in his tone. “That sucks. But did you ever think that _I_  don’t miss you?”

Kent stares at his pancakes for a moment. Then he stands up, grabs his cell phone, and starts to leave the room. He hesitates in the doorway before saying, “I was terrified of that, actually.”

Then he makes his way down the hall and up the stairs. He goes into Ransom and Holster’s room, and lays down on Holster’s bed. Everything feels heavy. He finally checks his phone. His coach and GM said that they saw the news - the blizzard should last another day at least. They told him to be safe and his coach reminds him that he should try to get Jack on their team.

Because everyone knows that Kent Parson was only a great hockey player with Jack Zimmerman. Without him, he was just alright.

He checks his messages from his mother, and two from his dad. It takes him all the energy he has to respond to them. He keeps it short and sweet, and ends them both with  _“I love you, don’t worry.”_

Kent turns his phone off again, and pulls the covers over himself. Then he closes his eyes and lets himself fall back asleep.

 

x x x 

 

A knock on the door startles Kent a few hours later. He’s been surfing Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr on his laptop in the bed. Kent looks up to see Jack standing in the doorway with an uncertain expression.

“So, um, I might have been a bit harsh on you earlier.”

“You were right,” Kent says.

Jack shakes his head. “No. No, I wasn’t. It wasn’t fair of me to imply that I didn’t miss you, because, well, I did. I really missed you. I just don’t get why you’re here.”

“I’m not happy.”

“Yeah,” Jack answers, with a nod. He says, “C’mon, let’s go watch some movies. Nothing hockey related.”

“I swear, if you make me watch some cheesy rom-com…” Kent says, closing his laptop and setting it aside. He gets out of bed to follow Jack back downstairs.

“You’ll love it and probably end up crying like you did when we watched–”

“Shut up,” Kent says, throwing his arm around Jack’s shoulders. He ruffles his hair before stepping away so they can go down the stairs. “You know what we should watch? _Ghostbusters._ ”

“I’m not sure I feel like an old movie,” Jack answers, jumping the last two steps.

“Dude, I’m talking about the new one. It’s fucking hilarious,” Kent tells him. “I watched it on a plane. We should definitely watch it.”

Jack smiles. “Alright then, let’s do it.”

Kent settles in his spot on the floor, with his back against the couch, and once Jack gets the movie started, he sprawls on the couch again. Kent glances up at Jack. “I never get to watch movies like this.”

“Me neither. Let’s milk it for all it’s worth,” Jack responds. He gives Kent a small smile though and it gives him hope. Maybe they’ll be okay after all.

 

x x x

 

“I didn’t think it was possible to be completely bored of movies,” Jack mumbles. “Do you want to watch something or, I don’t know. Do something?”

“Got any board games?”

Jack grins. “In fact, we have a ton. Ransom and Holster are huge fans. I’ll be right back.”

Kent smiles, and checks his phone.

 

**ELLIE:** _dude this storm is ridiculous. my dad and I have been trapped in our house for the past few days and I’m going CRAZY. we built a snowman though!_

**ELLIE:** _[img attached]  
             we named him Parse  & gave him a hockey stick. he’s not as fast as you though ;)_

Kent laughs, and saves the photo. It’s probably the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for him.

“What are you smiling about?” Jack asks, when he comes back into the living room with four boxes in his hand.

“Oh, just, I met this girl on the bus ride here. We talked for like an hour or so. She’s really cute,” Kent says, as he turns the phone towards Jack. “Her and her dad made a snowman version of me. Look.”

Jack leans down and grins. “That’s pretty cute. So, uh, are you two like a thing or…?”

“What? No. Dude, she’s like twelve.” Well, thirteen. She’d corrected him of that later on. Jack flushes, clearly embarrassed. “Besides, I’ve got my eyes on someone else.”

“Oh, yeah?” Jack asks, trying to hide his smile. He sits down on the other side of the coffee table. Kent shifts closer to it.

“Yeah. I think you might know him, actually.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. But I think he’s in love with Ransom.”

Jack starts to laugh. He rolls his eyes, “You’re ridiculous, Parse. What do you want to play?”

Kent looks at the options, picking up a game he’s never heard of before. He reads the back of the box, and glances up to see that Jack’s smiling at him with a soft expression. _Don’t get your hopes up. Don’t you dare, Kent._

 

x x x

 

“What? No!” Jack shouts when Kent kicks his butt at a game of _Go Fish!_  They’d run through too many other board games already this afternoon, and had had the opportunity to get caught up. Jack asked Kent about what the NHL was like, and Kent asked him about the Haus and Samwell’s team. “Are you cheating? You’re cheating.”

Kent laughs, and says, “Dude, you’re such a sore loser. I won that round fair and square.”

“Liar!”

Kent gasps. He shuffles over closer to Jack. “You really want to call me a liar?”

“Yep. That’s what you are!” Jack says. “A liar and a cheat.”

Kent pounces on him, and they start to wrestle. “Take it back!”

“Never!”

It’s as if no time passed at all, as if the past heartbreaks fade away and they’re right back to where they were before. Jack pushes Kent down on the ground, straddling him with his grip on Kent’s wrists. He wears a smug smile. “I refuse to believe you beat me at _Go Fish.”_

“Dude, you suck at _Go Fish!_  It’s not my fault.” Kent manages to flip Jack over so that he’s now the one straddling him. Jack grunts, but the amusement fades for a split second. Kent’s heart’s pounding so hard and fast. He wants to lean down and press his lips against Jack’s. God, he wants to so badly. But he can’t.

He climbs off Jack and hugs his knees.

“What’s going on?” Jack asks, looking at him with concern.

“I–Jack. My coach and GM only let me take two games off because I promised them that I would try to convince you to join our team. Or at least, be open to the idea of them drafting you.”

“Parse…”

“I know. I know. You’re doing so well here, and you never wanted to be part of the Las Vegas Aces. I know that. There are rumours that the Falconers are going to draft you…and their offer is better. Their team is better.” Kent rubs the back of his neck. “I’m supposed to tell you that you should join the Aces, but you shouldn’t take their shit offer. The Falconers are going to pitch you a better deal, and that’s why my GM wanted me to convince you to choose the Aces so we get you before they can offer anything to you.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you to know that when the Aces offer you something, you shouldn’t jump on it immediately. And I want you to know that that’s not why I came here. That’s how I got permission to come, but that’s not why I’m here,” Kent tells Jack. “I need you to trust me on that. Believe me.”

Jack takes a moment, thinking over Kent’s words. He tilts his head to meet Kent’s eyes, and reaches out to put his hand on Kent’s. He gives him a small smile and says, “I believe you, Parse. Okay? I believe you. You were always a shitty liar anyway.”

“Thanks, asshat.” The smile that breaks out on Kent’s face is impossible to stop. “So, um, are we going to be okay?”

“Yeah, we’re going to be okay. Do you want to build a snowman before it gets too dark?” Jack asks.

Kent nods. “I’d really like that, Jack.”

“Zimms,” Jack corrects with a wink. And that’s the moment. That’s the very moment that Kent _knows_  without a doubt that they’re going to be alright. Jack gets up, and holds his hand out for Kent. Kent takes his and lets him help him up even though he doesn’t need it. Jack doesn’t let go of his hand right away, and Kent can’t help but feel really damn good about it.

Naturally, all snowman building leads to a snow ball fight. After Jack gets him square in the forehead, Kent calls a truce. Their snowman look pretty damn good. He texts Ellie a photo and then offers to help Jack fix the arm on his guy. As he does, he bends down and pats the snow in his mittens. Jack seems to be unaware of Kent’s plan.

The second Jack bends down to get some snow, Kent yanks on Jack’s coat and shoves the snowball down his back. Jack screams, jumping up. He bounces around for a moment before saying, “Oh, you are so dead.”

Then Jack tackles Kent and they both go flying onto the ground. This time their wrestling is only half-hearted, because they’re both laughing like middle school kids. Kent and Jack used to wrestle as part of their foreplay, and when Jack pins Kent down, it’s all he can think about.

He swallows because the smile disappears from Jack’s face. He takes his mitt and pushes some of Kent’s hair out of his face. Kent shivers from the snow stuck on the mitten. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Jack murmurs. He does a quick survey of the area, but most of the houses are either empty or occupied by people who haven’t left in three days.

Kent presses his lips together, trying to breathe properly. He exhales gently and parts his lips. “Jack… I…”

Jack leans down and hovers less than an inch from Kent’s face. Kent moves his lips closer to Jack’s and waits. He doesn’t want to rush or misread the situation. Kent half expects Jack to shove some snow in his face, but instead his cold lips press against Kent’s.

It takes him a second or two before Kent moves to wrap his arms around Jack. He tilts his head a little more and lets Jack deepen the kiss. He knows that he’s lying in snow and there’s more snow falling around them, but he’s never been hotter. Kent pulls away first. He has too much self control.

“I didn’t–”

“Let’s go inside?”

“Okay.”

 

x x x

 

It’s not as if they fall back into old habits, because they’ve never done this before. They’ve never been alone together for so long, without any interruptions or sneaking around. It’s almost as if they’re…normal. But it feels so natural, like they’ve done it their entire lives.

Jack strokes Kent’s hair. They’ve curled up on the couch. There’s a movie playing, but neither of them are paying much attention. Kent steals kisses from Jack here and there, and for the first time in a few years, he finally feels settled. Relaxed. Safe.

Then his phone rings. He groans, kisses Jack’s lips, and then rolls off him. He grabs his phone from the kitchen and sighs. It’s Coach.

“Hey,” Kent says, anxious. He rubs his face and looks at Jack.

“Parson, do you think you’ll be able to fly out tomorrow?” Coach asks.

“Um.” Kent smiles when Jack peers at him over the back of the couch. “I’m not sure. I might need another day. It’s fucking crazy here, Coach. The snow hasn’t stopped coming down.”

Not a total lie.

“And Zimmerman? Do you think he’ll take the offer?” Coach demands, sounding annoyed.

Kent sighs. “I don’t think so. He seems to be on the fence.”

“Parson, work some magic. Have you settled your feud?”

“Uh. I think so. Listen, can you assure my mom that I’m okay? She won’t stop freaking out on me and well, there’s nothing I can do. Buses and planes aren’t running here yet.” Kent rubs the back of his neck. “I’ll try to get the first flight out.”

“Yeah, yeah. I think you’ll be there tomorrow night too. Perhaps you’ll be able to get out on Friday.” Coach makes some ruffling noises, before adding, “The team needs you back. Of course, we understand that you’re stranded, but…Parson, you gotta get back here as soon as you can.”

“I know.” Paradise will be over soon. He hates it.

“I’ll booked you a flight. Friday at noon. The airport seems to think that they’ll be up and running again then,” Coach tells him. “I’ll email you the details.”

“Sure thing, Coach. I’ll talk to you soon.” Kent frowns while they say goodbye. When he hangs up, he skims the missed messages from some of his teammates, his mother, his father, and Ellie. He sets it back down on the kitchen table and goes to climb over the back of the couch and land on top of Jack.

“Hey,” Jack says, stroking Kent’s cheek. “Everything okay?”

“Real life will be happening again Friday. Coach is buying me a plane ticket,” Kent tells him with a small sigh. He nuzzles his face into Jack’s neck. “I’m not ready to go back.”

“Mmm, okay, let’s not think about it then.” Jack kisses his forehead and wraps his arms around Kent. “Maybe we should make the best of our little paradise before we lose it.’

Kent smiles. “I like the sounds of that. Your bed or mine?”

Jack laughs and ruffles Kent’s hair. “Mine. Holster probably wouldn’t care but…I don’t know what him and Ransom do behind closed doors.”

“You think they’re together?” Kent asks, surprised.

“I don’t know, but they remind me a lot of how we used to be.”

Neither of them move immediately, because they’re both comfortable and trying to hold onto something that they’re going to lose again soon. Kent draws little hearts on Jack with his finger tip and they talk in soft murmurs.

“If you didn’t play hockey, what would you do with your life?” Kent whispers to Jack.

“I’d be a History professor. Maybe do something in econ or political science if I didn’t do that,” Jack responds. ‘You?”

“I don’t know.” Kent licks his lips, takes a deep breath, and asks, “Why didn’t you tell me that you were having a hard time with anxiety when I got drafted?”

Jack tenses up a bit. Then he finally says, “I was embarrassed. You were so confident, so sure, and my dad was coming down hard on me. You know him. He suffocated me. I didn’t want you to think I was weak too.”

Kent gently rubs his thumb on Jack’s skin. “I’m on anti-anxiety meds. Sometimes they don’t work as well as I want, but most days I find it really helpful.”

“Yeah, well, I overdosed. I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to stop being so damn scared,” Jack tells him. “I’ve figured it out now. My doctor was really hesitant to put me back on anti-anxiety meds but rehab helped a lot. Samwell has been great, actually. I can focus on hockey, but I also have more friends here. I don’t feel so alone, y’know? These guys are my family.”

Kent smiles. “That sounds nice. I don’t really feel like any of the guys on the Aces are family yet. You’d think I would, but I don’t.”

“That sucks.”

“I wish I could’ve helped you back then.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Parse. I didn’t want to talk about it with anyone.”

“But I was in love with you. I would’ve done _anything_  to help you.”

“Wait, what did you just say?” Jack pulls away so he can meet Kent’s eyes.

“I–”

Jack’s grin is slow, but wide. “You were in love with me back then? It wasn’t just two guys fucking because it was too hard to have a girlfriend around?”

Kent snorts. “Dude, no. The fact that I ever made you think that makes me question my sanity. I’m sorry, man. But I’m in love with you, and I don’t think it’s going to go away anytime soon.”

Jack presses his lips to Kent’s and it’s a nice, slow, sensual kiss. They move with each other as if they’re both desperate to savour the moment. When Jack gets up, holding his hand out to Kent, he says, ‘C’mon lover boy. Let’s go to bed.”

 

x x x 

 

“I’ll miss you,’ Kent whispers for the fourth time that morning. He’s holding Jack’s hands in the airport. He presses his lips to Jack’s again. “If I pay for wifi on the plane, will you message me on WhatsApp?”

Jack pretends to think it over. “Hmmm…nawh. I think we’re done here.”

Kent laughs and rolls his eyes. “You think you’re _so_  funny. Tell me you’ll miss me?”

“God, you’re so clingy.” Jack grins when Kent pouts. “I’ll miss you a lot, Parse. Let me know when you’re back in the area?”

“Yeah. Of course. Um. Zimms?” Kent lowers his voice and asks, his voice shaking with nerves, “Do you think that, um, I could like, call you my, um, boyfriend?”

“Yeah. Not to the press because…our careers and all. We should be more established, but yeah. I think we’re dating now.” Jack leans forward to press his lips to Kent’s. “I’ll tell my boys eventually. Can we keep it between us for a while?”

“Sure. We’ll talk?”

“We’ll talk. Now hurry. I don’t want you to miss your flight,” Jack murmurs.

“Trying to get rid of me already?” Kent teases. Jack laughs and kisses him again. Man, is that ever nice. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Text me when you’re on the plane. And we’ll Skype and stuff. We’ll make it work.”

“Cool. Okay. Okay. I’ll see you soon. Promise.”

One more kiss.

 

x x x

 

**BREAKING NEWS! _JACK ZIMMERMAN SIGNS CONTRACT WITH THE PROVIDENCE FALCONERS!_**

 

x x x

 

**_ZIMMERMAN AND PARSON DATING? CAUGHT ON CAMERA HOLDING HANDS!_ **

**__  
**  
  
ELLIE:  _YOU CAME OUT! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!!_  
  


x x x 

 

“Everyone sit down. Y’all are going to try some of my pumpkin pie. I don’t want to hear any complaints. It’s not my fault that y’all ate too much turkey. I made a nice pie for Thanksgiving and you are all going to enjoy every bite,” Bitty tells everyone as he brings in a nice hot pie to the table.

Jack laughs and nudges Kent. He whispers, “I told you not to eat so much turkey.”

“But it was so good,” Kent whines.

“You can’t disappoint Bitty,” Jack murmurs back. “I saved some extra room in my tummy if you can’t eat it all.”

“Love you,” Kent says, with a bright smile.

“Love you more.” Jack kisses Kent’s cheek before he says, “Bitty! It smells great. I’m glad that we always do our holiday dinners together.”

Bitty points his finger at Jack. “You. I knew I liked you for a reason.”

Laughter breaks out when Ransom and Holster come up beside Bitty. Ransom peeks over his shoulder and takes a dramatic whiff. “Oh man, Bits. This is it. This is _the_  pie of the year.”

“Ransom always knows,” Holster responds. “He’s never wrong about this stuff.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Bitty teases.

“Hey, Bits,” Lardo calls out from the other end of the table. ‘Did you make Shitty and I our favourite pie?”

“Did I make you two your favourite pie? _Did I make you two your favourite pie?_  Of course I did. Give me a second,” Bitty answers before walking back to the kitchen.

“Bless his soul,” Shitty says, with a grin. “Yo, Holster, can you pass the whipped cream?”

“Ew, dude. Gross,” Ellie says, shaking her head. “So gross. Whipped cream is nasty.”

Shitty threatens to spray the whipped cream at Ellie.

Jack reaches underneath the table to grab Kent’s hand. He squeezes and feels all the tension of the hockey season disappear from his shoulders. This is home.

Kent finally has a home.

 

x x x 


End file.
